Lubricating means



Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED STATES; PATENT orr es.

This invention pertains to that class of lubricat- -ing means primarily employed for forcing a lubricant, such as oil or grease, into lubricating iittings connected with parts to be lubricated, and 5 has for an object to provide simple, inexpensive an defiective means whereby this may be accomplished and whereby a very high pressure may be exerted upon the lubricant when necessary. A further object of my invention is to provide such 1 a means which maybe supplied with lubricant directly from an original package, such as a can or cartridge, in which lubricant may be packed, stored, transported and sold.

Other objects will be obvious in view of the 15 following specification.

Fig. I is a partial section and partial elevation of one form of lubricating means embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a partial section and partial eleva- 20 tion of a portion of the structure of Fig. I, the section being taken in a plane substantially 90 degrees from that of Fig. I.

Fig. III is a partial elevationand partial section of one type of packing ring which may be em- 25 ployed in the structure of Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a partial elevation and partial section of a portion of the structure of Fig. I, the main section being taken in the same plane as in Fig. I.

Fig. V is a partial elevation and partial section 30 of a portion of the structure of Fig. I, showing different positions of some of the parts.

Fig. V1 is an elevation of a cap such as may be used to close the container of Fig. I when the container is not in use in combination with the 3 other parts.

In so far as common subject-matter is dis,-

closed, this is a continuation of my pending apbe closed as by means of a threaded cap such as shown at 5 in Fig. VI. 4

.Before the top 3 is placed upon the can, a piston 6 is placed therein so as to rest upon the 50 bottom 2, as shown in Fig. V. Then, after the top 3. is properly seamed upon the can, it may be filled with lubricant to a proper height so as to leave a suitable air space at the top to allow for expansion, as is customary. The can may then be 55 closed by means of a cap, as shown in Fig. VI,

and stored, transported and sold in the usual manner such original containers are handled.

A very satisfactory form of piston 6 for the purpose may be made of wood provided with a peripherial' groove of the shape indicated at 1 in 5 Fig. I, which is-filled with a resilient packing, as indicated at B in Figs. I and V, a type of suchpacking which I have found very satisfactory being formed of ashort length of seamless tubular knit or woven material, such as used in the manufacture of stockings, rolled upon itself so as to form a ring of circular section, as indicated in Fig. III. Such a ring is quite elastic and can be readily stretched over the piston where it will be held tightly in the groove 1, and if of proper dimensions will form a very satisfactory fluidtight joint or contact with the side wall I of the container. The piston is provided wtih a screwthreaded opening 9 which is normally closed by a paper washer or disc, preferably glued thereto, I

and indicated at in in Fig. V.

The bonnet l i of Figs. I, II and IV, is provided with an internal thread i2, adapted to be screwed upon the neck 4 in place of cap 5 and make a fluid-tight joint therewith by means of the gasket I3 of cork or other suitable resilient material. The bonnet ii carries a pump'barrel l4, having a bore l5 which communicates with the chamber [6 of the bonnet H, as by means of the port i'l shown in Fig. II.

The bore I5 is provided with a fluid-tight plunger (not shown) which is attached to the rodl8 and isnormally held in a position to uncover the port I! by the spring [9 between the mushroom discs 20 and 2 I. The outlet end of the bore I5 is provided with an outwardly opening check valve 22 permitting lubricant to pass from the bore l5 into the tubular member 23 which communicates with the nozzle 24, adapted to form a fluid-tight contact with suitable fittings, in a now well-known manner.

The tubular stem 25 is provided with a threaded portion 26, adapted to fit snugly in the threaded bore 9 of piston 6, and also with a fluted portion 21 which is similar to an ordinary reamer. The 5 upper portion of the stem 25 is provided with a close fitting, slidable, sleeve 28 which is rounded at its lower end, as shown at 29, and adapted to form a fluid-tight joint with the seat 30 in the bonnet Ii. The seat 30 surrounds the opening 3| in the bonnet I I, which opening is appreciably larger in diameter than the stem 25. The upper end of the stem 25 is provided with a small hand wheel 32 which is formed with a central opening 33 communicating with the bore of the stem 25,

put the lubricant in the can and chamber l6 under pressure which will tend to cause it to flow through port I! into the bore l5 of the pump barrel I 4, since the tubular stem 25 passes through the piston 6 and communicates with the atmosphere at 33.

Therefore, if the plunger in the bore l5 be now moved forward, as by grasping the discs 20 and 2| and causing 2| to be moved toward 20, it will force the air from the bore l5 beyond the check valve 22 and through 23 to the nozzle where it will be expelled. If spring l9 be now allowed to return 2| to the position shown in Fig. I, the retraction of the plunger will cause a partial vacuum in the bore l5 until it passes the port l1, whereupon the lubricant will tend to rush into the bore l5 and fill thesame, being urged to do so by the effect of the above-mentioned pressure thereupon due to spring 34. Then, if the nozzle be placed in operative contact with a proper fitting, lubricant may be forced thereinto, under heavy pressure if necessary, by reciprocation of the plunger by means of manually movable disc 2! which may be pushed toward the fitting in a well known manner. As lubricant is used from the can, an occasional turn of the wheel 32 will keep the spring 34 compressed and maintain the pressure upon the lubricant to continue to feed the pump, in an obvious manner, until the entire supply is practically exhausted and the reamer 21 has cut the thread out of the piston 6 and enlarged the bore therein until the stem 25 may be withdrawn from the piston and bonnet l I. Then the bonnet Il may be unscrewed from the can and the can discarded, as it has been rendered useless for refilling and using by cutting out the thread in the piston.

Withdrawing the stem 25 will cause some of the lubricant in the chamber I6 to be removed with the stern, particularly if a relative stiff, stringy, grease be employed, and a few strokes of the plunger in bore [5 will cause some more to be withdrawn from the chamber [6 so as to leave the same fairly empty, or at least with a large central passage therethrough. The bonnet may now be screwed upon a fresh can of lubricant, in an obviousmanner. v

The stem 25 should now have the reamer portion 21 cleaned of any cuttings taken from the piston and it will then be ready to insert into bonnet attached thereto, as shown in Fig. I, the

dge 35 of the stem 25, as shown in Fig. V, may be caused to perforate the paper disc in and the thread 25 will engage the thread 9. in the piston 5, and then turning the wheel 32 will cause the thread 26 to enter the piston and move downwardly, in an obvious manner.

The wheel 32 is thus turned until the sleeve 28 is about readyto strike its seat, as shown in Fig. IV, or until it just strikes the seat and has very little, if any, spring .pressure thereupon; and then an upward pull upon the stem 25, as by pulling upon the wheel 32, will raise the piston 6 and expel any air that may be in the chamber l6 and upper portion of the can through the opening 3| and around the stem, as may be seen most plainly in Fig. IV.

When the air has been expelled and lubricant appears around the stem 25 at 3|, further turning of the wheel 32 will cause the stem to descend; and when the sleeve 28 contacts with its seat 30, further turning of the wheel 32 will cause the lubricant abovethe piston 5 in the can to be placed under spring pressure and urged to feed the bore l5 when its piston is reciprocated, as above outlined.

And it will be obvious that inasmuch as the area of piston 5 is very many times the area of the portion of sleeve 23 exposed'to lubricant pressure, a. lubricant-tight joint will be maintained between the rounded portion 29 of sleeve 28 and its seat 30, and that this will be true even if the axis of the stem benot exactly normal to the plane of the seat 30, since the rounded portion 29 presents a substantially spherical surface against the seat 30.

It will be plain that, as the stem 25 is pressed into a fresh can of lubricant, some of the lubricant will tend to enter the bore of the stem. This tendency may be lessened by placing a finger over the opening 33 while inserting the stern but, even without observing this precaution, any lubricant that enters the stem during this operation is expelled from the bore of the stem when the piston 6 is lifted to expel the air from,the top of the can, as above described, as raising piston 6 creates a. partial vacuum below the piston unless the bore of the stem 25 is free to admit air to the space between piston 5 and the bottom of the'can. Further, the wheel 32 is made of such shape as to resemble the mouthpiece of a wind instrument so that one may readily blow through the stem to assist in clearing any obstruction therein and to assist the spring 33 in overcoming any dents in the can, if desired, though this is seldom if ever necessary in practice.

From the foregoing it will be noted that I have produced a simple and handy lubricating means which employs a container having permanently fixed end closures from which a lubricant of any reasonable density and viscosity may be withdrawn and injected into hearings to be lubricated. And it will be plain that when the same is not in use the pressure upon the lubricant in the container may be relieved by turning the wheel 32 in the proper direction, and the tendency for lubricant to leak past the piston 5 thus reduced to a minimum, which I have found to ifled than to have the piston placed therein, as

the piston shown will prevent any appreciable leakage along the longitudinal seam of an ordinary can, such as now used by major oil com-- panies for holding lubricant.

By properly shaping the head 3 of the can and the upper surface of the piston 5, substantially the entire contents of the can may be used, as the piston 6 strips the can very thoroughly; and any contamination of the lubricant is entirely avoided by using the lubricant directly from the orginal can. And it need not even be exposed to the atmosphere; save as the cap is removed and the bonnet ll placed upon the can in its stead, and even then only a small opening is presented to the air.

While I have shown only one form of my invention for illustration/ of a preferred embodiment thereof and only one type of piston to be placed in the cans, I have used a great number of kinds of pistons, made of various materials in various shapes, as well as various kinds of packing materials for the pistons of the type shown herein, such as cotton wicking, jute cord, jute packing, marline, etc., and have found many to be satisfactory in. maintaining a practically fluid-tight contact with the side of the can. The piston chosen for illustration is taken merely because it works 'very satisfactorily and is readily assembled and can be made cheaply and with great uniformity, and is readily handled before and during the process of placing in the can.

I do not Wish to be in any way limited to the exact constructions or materials here portrayed to disclose one form of my invention, as it will' a tubular element passing through said member the first-named one end closure.

and engaging the follower and adapted to exert pressure upon the same and to admit air between the follower and the first-named one end closure. i

2. Lubricating means including a' container having end closures, a follower positioned near one of said closures, a removable, member associated with another end closure and communieating with the interior of the container, a pump associated with said member in operative communication with the interior of said container, a tubular element passing through said member in fluid-tight relationship thereto and engaging the follower and adapted to exert pressure upon the same and to admit air between the follower and 3. Lubricating means including a pump portion provided with container engaging means, a container having complementary engaging means engaged thereby in operative relation to said pump, said container including a movable lubricant displacing piston, and a' tubular member passing through said piston and admitting air beyond said pistonand provided with means for moving the same. 7

4. Lubricating means including a pump portion provided with container engaging means, a container having complementary engaging means "engaged thereby in operative relation to said pump, said container including a movable lubricant displacing piston, and a tubular member passing through said piston and admitting airbeyond said piston and provided with means for moving the same, and, also with means for rendering the said last-named means inoperative with respect to said piston.

5. A lubricant pump assembly for use With' a container of the original package type having a closed bottom, an apertured top and sealed-in piston, said assembly including a pump, a member for engaging a portion of'said top and operatively connecting said pump with the interior of the container, and means for engaging and moving said piston and admitting air between said piston and the bottom of said container.

6. A lubricant pump assembly for use with a container of the original package type having a closed bottom, an apertured top and sealed-in piston, said assembly including a pump, a member for engaging a portion of said top and operatively connecting said pump with the interior of the container, and means for engaging said piston and yieldingly tending to move the same and adapted to admit air between the piston and the bottom of said container.

'7. A container for viscous material including a side wall portion and end portions of sheet material all permanently united in fixed relative positions, one of said end portions being permanently closed and the other end portion being provided with means adapted to form. a fluid-tight joint with complementary means and align the axis of said complementary means with the central axisjof the container, and a piston provided with a resilient packing ring in substantially fiuid tight contact with the side wallportion.

8. A container for viscous material including a side wall portion and end portions of sheet material all permanently united in fixed relative positions, one of said end portions being permanently closed, and a piston provided with a resilient packing ring formed of seamless tubular material rolled upon itself to form a ring of spiral cross section in substantially fluid-tight contact with the side wall portion.

9. A container for viscous material including a side Wall portion and end portions of sheet material all permanently united in fixed relative positions, one of said end portions being permanently closed and another being provided with pump engaging means, and a piston provided with a resilient packing ring in substantially fluid-tight contact with the side wall portion, and a normally closed ,aperture therethrough in alignment with the central axis of the pump engaging means. l

10. A container for viscous material comprising a side wall portion and end portions. permanently attached thereto, one end portion forming a permanently fluid-tight closure, and a pis ton in close proximity to said end and provided with a perforation therethrough, another of said end portions being provided with an outwardly extending outlet neck, adapted to make fluidtight connection with complementary means and align the axis thereof with the said perforation in said piston and removable means for closing said end portions being provided with an outlet neck adapted to make fluid-tight connection with complementary means and align the axis thereof with the said perforation in said piston and removable means for closing the same.

12. A container for viscous material comprising a side wall portion and end portions permanently attached thereto, one end portion forming a permanently fluid-tight closure, another being provided with a pump connection, a piston in close proximity to said one end and provided with a perforation therethrough, and frangible means closing said perforation, said pump connection including a threaded member having its central axis in alignment with the perforation in the piston.

13. Lubricating means including a pump assembly provided with a pump and means communicating therewith for forming fluid-tight communication with a container, a container in operative relation thereto and including a lubricant displacing piston, said pump assembly including a tubular member passing through said piston for admitting air beyond the piston and for moving the piston.

14. Means for applying viscous material packed in cans having displacing pistons therein, comprising a bonnet adapted to form a fluid-tight connection with a can and have communication with the interior of the can and with the atmosphere, and having associated therewith means for operatively engaging and moving the piston to displace the material into the bonnet and expel air that may be contained therein through the, communication with the atmosphere, and

means for. closing the communication with the atmosphere.

15. Means for applying viscous material packed in cans having displacing pistons therein, comprising a bonnet adapted to forma fluid-tight connection with a can and have communication with the interior of the can and with the atmosphere, and having associated therewith means for operatively engaging and moving the piston to displace the material into the bonnet and expel air that may be contained therein through the communication with the atmosphere, means for closing the communication with the atmosphere and ejecting means receiving said material and adapted to eject the same.

16. In apparatus of the class described, a container having a fixed end closure and'a piston in proximity thereto and adapted to serve as a marketable package. combined with a readily attachable-detachable pumping unit having assoclated therewith a member passed through the contents of said container to engage the piston and move the same to supply the pumping unit with the contents of the container.

17. In apparatus of the class described, a container having an end closure and a piston in proximity thereto and adapted to serve as a marketable package, combined with a readily attachable-detachable pumping unit having associated therewith a member passed through the contents of said container to engage the piston and move the same to supply the pumping unit with the contents of the container, said member being provided with a duct for conveying air to a point between the piston and the end closure.

18. A pump assembly for use with prefilled containers of the type having an open end and a fixedly closed end and a piston near the latter, said assembly including a portion adapted to communicate with the interior of the container at the open end, a pump element in operative relation to said portion, and an elementadapted to be passed through the contents of the container to engage and move the piston.

19. A pump assembly for use with prefilled containers of the type having an open end and a closed end and a piston near the latter, said assembly including a,portion adapted to communicate' with the interior of the container at the open end, a pump element in operative relation to said portion, and an element adapted to be passed through the contents of the container to engage and move the piston of the container and convey air between the piston and the closed end.

20. The method of packing, merchandising and using viscous materials such as lubricants, which consists in packing the material in a container having a leak-proof bottom and a piston in proximity thereto and a removable top portion for closing the container; merchandising said material thus sealed in said container; using said material by removing the said top portion to open the container and applying thereto means propelling pressure thereupon and, by manipulation of the piston moving means and the pressure-exerting means, forcing said material against a surface to be treated therewith.

JOHN L. CREVELING. 

